


Welcome to the reminiscing

by sly2o



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV), The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, but it's bittersweet, it's supposed to be a sweet story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 20:33:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14221269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sly2o/pseuds/sly2o
Summary: Spacekru during their down time tell stories about their parents. Raven tells everyone about her great abuelas.





	Welcome to the reminiscing

**Author's Note:**

> A wonkru secret santa gift for Leila ( @zoemonroe ). This is a canon-verse fic that takes place after season 4 that focuses on Raven’s past.

 

“Your turn Raven. Tell us about your parents.”

The easy smile on Raven’s face quickly flickered away into consternation. Tonight’s social time had started with Harper made a joking comment about how two years ago none of them would have guessed that this is who would be running the Ark. From there it had turned into a trip down memory lane with everyone talking about what their parents would think if they could see them now.

“I’d rather not,” Raven started but was quickly interrupted by jeers of “come on” from the group.

Raven snapped over their voices, “look my memories of my family aren’t happy, alright?”

“None of ours are either Raven,” said Monty coolly as he met her glare.  

Monty wasn’t wrong. Although they had ended each story with everyone clinking their glasses in honour of their proud parents, those cheers were highly varied; some were with sorrow while others dripped with sarcasm.

It wasn’t too long until Raven lost the mini stare down with Monty and let out a short breath, “fine.”

“As you all know, my parents were never really around. I never knew my dad. My mom mostly abandoned me. When she couldn’t trade my rations for moonshine she was busy finding other ways to get a buzz. It was mostly just Finn and I.”

Raven shot a  _I told you so_  look around the room, but was met with understanding nods rather than implicit permission to stop telling her story. A little flustered by the genuine interest Raven continued.

“Uhm, alright. Well, when my mom was around… well…” Raven looked around the room at each person as she internally judged whether she would, for the first time since Finn, tell someone about her one good memory of her mother. The quiet yet open looks on all of them calmed Raven’s nerves and affirmed that yes, she she could put down her defenses and tell them. With resolve Raven carried forward, “my mom would tell me stories about our family from when they lived on earth.”

“She’d say that my great, great, great, etcetera, abuela — we just called her great abuela — was a part of the police, like the guard but for a place on earth. The place was called Brooklyn.”

Raven looked down and smiled a bit to herself before she continued.

“Every time I asked my mom to tell me about my great abuela she told me a new story. They were always so detailed and imaginative. I wanted to hear some of the stories twice, but mom could never remember,” Raven’s smile waivered, “Maybe it was because she was too messed up to remember what she told me last…”

Emori quickly chimed in with her usual dry sense of humour, “well that sounds more interesting than hearing the same story all the time.”

“Yeah I guess that’s true,” replied Raven as she shot Emori a half smile before continuing.

“My mom was consistent in one part. No matter what, our grandmother was a part of a small team of people who worked together to solve mysteries and fight crime. Everyone on the team was different, but they all supported each other no matter what happened.”

“There was this one day I came home really upset that I wasn’t picked to be a flag bearer in the unity day pageant–”

Murphy snorted and Emori elbowed him in the side.

“What?! I didn’t get picked either,” confessed Murphy to which Monty let out a low whistle. Murphy shrugged an apology, “I’m sorry Raven, go ahead.”

Taking a deep breath Raven continued.

“Anyways, I guess my mom noticed I was upset because that night she told me a story about Rosa being offered a position as captain and turning it down. I was pretty outraged considering what had just happened to me, and in the story my mom told me Amy was outraged too. But in the end it was revealed that being a captain isn’t always a good thing.”

Raven shot a smirk at Bellamy who shook his head with bemusement before taking another swig from his cup.

“The next day after hearing that story I was able to move on and focus on what I cared about. I didn’t actually want to be a flag bearer; I just wanted to be a part of the pageant. I told the pageant organizer I still wanted to help and after some thought I was picked to help with the music and lighting.”

At this Monty’s eyes lit up, “wait a minute, the year that the kid got second degree burns from standing near the lights – was that you?”

“My very first tune up,” said Raven proudly as the group laughed, “I was on the fast path to mechanic training after that.”

Echo cut in then with a pointed question, “was Amy or Rosa your abuela?”

To this Raven sighed, “My mom would go back and forth between saying great abuela Rosa or great abuela Amy. I’m not sure if mom forgot, or if she just switched depending on what story she thought I needed that day.”

“Days when I came home upset that someone had bullied me she’d tell me about great abuela Rosa. She would tell me a story that showed how Rosa was really tough but that she still needed and surrounded herself with friends who trusted and supported her.”

“On other days when I was having problems with school she’d tell me about great abuela Amy and her binders.  She’d tell me that being organized and smart runs in our family. That it didn’t matter how many Gina’s in the world made fun of me for it, I should keep being awesome.”

“But as I got older my Mom’s problems got worse,” a frown crossed Raven’s face again, “Mom was confused. In and out of the infirmary a lot. The guard could never actually lock her up because her mind was so far gone from whatever it was she was getting her fix from that it was impossible for her to confess to doing something wrong.”

Raven took in a deep breath before continuing.

“In her confusion… she started to ask me to tell stories about our great abuela. But, she would ask me for stories she had never told me before. So… I had to make them up. I usually made them up based on what was happening to me that day.”

“Mom asked me for a story about the uncatchable ‘Pontiac Bandit’, so I told her about what I heard Nigel was up to that day and the latest way she had evaded Kane. She really got a kick out of it.”

“And when I was taking my first mechanics lessons I found an error in one of the demonstration areas that Sinclair oversaw… so when Mom asked me what great abuela Amy got Captain Holt for Christmas I told her a story about Amy finding a mistake in one of Captain Holt’s old cases while making a scrapbook for him. Telling mom that story actually helped me talk to Sinclair about the mistake I saw, so you’re welcome to everyone who liked breathing on Arrow station.”  

At this Harper mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Raven.  

“Mom also asked me about ‘Giggle Pig’ repeatedly… I’m not sure if that’s what had knocked her into the hospital but instead I told her about how great abuela Rosa was personally in charge of hunting down those who made it.”

“I don’t know if it helped mom much. But the idea of catching those who had messed up mom was… ”

Raven stopped as she felt emotion building up in her chest and stared intensely at the ground as she tried to push it away.

Harper tilted her head down to catch Raven’s eye and smiled sympathetically at her, “your mom wasn’t around Raven, but it sounds like you had some great Abuelas who would be proud of you.”

Raven hastily wiped away a tear in the corner of her eye, “uhm yeah I guess so.”

A silence filled the room as Raven starred at the floor lost in thought. Sensing the story was over Bellamy raised his glass, “a toast, to Raven’s proud abuelas.”

The entire group cheered and clinked their glasses — and Raven quietly whispered “nine-nine” to her glass before shooting it back.  


End file.
